(^136) A Wiccan Bible
Seasons of the Sun
The final consideration before discussing the Holidays themselves is to state that
the Holidays are not simply days. Yes, those days are often marked on a calendar, but
those days are simply the peak of the season by the same name. We celebrate the Holi-
days on a more or less specific date, but that date should be thought of as the culmina-
tion of the season. Samhain, for example, is most often celebrated on October 31st;
however, the season of Samhain runs from Fall Equinox through Samhain. Likewise,
we typically see Winter Solstice marked and celebrated on or around December 21st;
however, the season of Winter Solstice runs from Samhain (the end of the Samhain
season) through Winter Solstice, the day on which the season is marked. Although this
has not been the typical Wiccan view, it does seem rather naive to think that a harvest
or planting would last only a single day.
While this might sound a bit confusing at first, this way of viewing the year denotes
that each day is sacred. It is also in keeping with the cultural norm of marking a thing at
its conclusion. A child is said to be one year old at the conclusion of his or her first year.
When an adult marks his or her 21st birthday, he or she marks the completion of the
21st year and the entrance into the next year of life, the 22nd.
Seasons of the Sun
Here we begin to see four seasons instead of just two, each season having a begin-
ning, middle, and an end, as do all things. With this explanation, we see that at Samhain
we can be truthful in saying that we are celebrating the peak of Fall. After all, as a
nature based religion that is exactly what we are celebrating, even if a small portion of
our community wants to continue to confuse and scare the general public.
W. Solstice Season
Samhain Season
F. Equinox Season
Lughnasadh Season
S. Solstice Season
Imbolg Season
S. Equinox Season
Bealtaine Season
Fall Equinox Spring Equinox
Summer Solstice
Winter Solstice
p WB Chap 08.p65 136 7/11/2003, 5:52 PM
barré
(Barré)
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